Newcastle suffered a 4-0 defeat to Celtic in a pre-season friendly held in Austria, with Alexander Isak notably absent – though manager Eddie Howe remains adamant that the £63m forward is not leaving the club.
Eddie Howe explained that he decided to exclude Isak from the squad for the friendly amid ongoing speculation about the striker’s future, particularly links with Liverpool.
Despite the mounting rumours, Howe insisted that Newcastle have not received any formal offers for Isak and made it clear the club have no intention of selling him during this transfer window.
Isak’s absence came as the Magpies endured a heavy defeat to the Scottish champions, and Howe confirmed the striker had simply been given some time off.
When questioned by Chronicle Live about whether Isak is considered untouchable at the club – especially after a performance in which Newcastle failed to even score – Howe responded:
“I’d say we have a few players who are irreplaceable. Your top players are so hard to find. They are so hard to recruit and develop. And make them into those players, when you have them you need to treasure them.
“We certainly as staff recognise his talent and ability. We are desperate to keep him as part of our team.”, reports Chronicle Live.
On the subject of Isak’s absence, Howe explained: “It was my decision. I decided to send him home due to the speculation around him. The last thing he wanted is to be sat in the stand watching, that wasn’t fair to him.”
When asked if he could assure fans that Isak would remain at the club, Howe stated: “It is difficult for me to sit here and give 100% clarity on any player. I’d never sit here and do that.
“It is football and you never know what can happen. All I can say is that Alex is happy at Newcastle, he loves the players and staff, the team.
“I have never had any issue with him other than seeing him express his talent and express himself. Certainly I am confident that he is going to be here at the start of the season.”
Howe mentioned that Isak and Joelinton could have featured this afternoon if necessary, noting: “Both players are fit. But we just felt they were not ready to play.
“Everybody through pre-season goes through different challenges, Joe is back from a long injury. So we need to make sure when he is introduced he is ready. Alex has trained this week and is fine but we did not want to take the risk.”
Reflecting on the 4-0 loss, Howe remarked: “I know everybody will be down on the performance but there was some good stuff in there as well.
“Austria was intense and all these tours are with the way we manage them. The players have been non-stop in work. There has been a little bit of play in there too. I think it probably showed in our performance.
“We travelled here yesterday and looked a little bit jaded. It was great for our preparation, the harder the game the better. Celtic you could see were way ahead of us fitness wise and sharpness wise. But I think we will be better for the game.”
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